I would feel really bad about this but this may be the route to go. If just like 25% of the room would follow this boycott it would probably be enough to get them to change to $6 rake and it would probably only take like 2-3 weeks.

It should really be no tips on pots over $60 though. And I suggest making it clear to the poker room manager what we are doing.

So we should punish the dealers for a rake? Are they doing something incorrectly...green but good for day one.

I will still pay a little more for all of the extras that they put in:

Comfortable chairs
Extra padding on the rails
Nice tables
Eating at the table
Waitress going to get me food
Waitlist...not white board/Empress Excel?!
3-5 max buyin....wow great idea

Spoke to the manager about headphones...state law and that sucks.

I play normally at Aurora but not any more. Much better staff, lower rake for NL, poker dealers/supervisors, Tournaments (We will see)

Can't go to Empress anyways but will see of it stays open cause they wont be able to hold a game. Not even a poker room anyways.

Those chairs are awesome.

So Empress wasn't lying? Huh

Floor said tourneys after Doyle will happen and be daily.

Hell, half my table last night were Empress employees saying how great Harrah's PR is

Sounds like this was written by harrahs poker room manager. $6 Max rake is plenty to recoup what they spent on the room, probably in less than a month. I really feel bad about punishing the dealers but this is probably what needs to be done. That $7 rake plus $1 for bbj makes it very difficult to be a long term winning player here.

+1 to bolded, especially since I just advised harrah's joliet of this thread via twitter

Can you share the phone number for the poker room? Thanks in advance.

It's the only way to have your voice heard unless you don't play there....and this is only a comparison for those that play in Indiana like myself. What's it come down to, a couple hands per session....

Remember too..some of us play this game for the money we win, and the higher rake cuts into our end as well. So its a everybody get screwed concept unless they change it.

Poker Room: 815-740-7480

If you are on Facebook, do a search for "Harrah's Joliet Casino and Hotel" or go to their page here: http://www.facebook.com/Harrahs.Joliet

Their latest post asks for reviews of the poker room :-P

They asked the same thing on twitter it looks like. They asked, let's answer.

In two hours I saw dealers...

-Not know what IWTSH was and needed a floor
-Give wrong change (2 instead of 4)
-Push pot to PFR without giving change
-Give change to wrong seat
-Pitched card went face up (saw 4 of these between two dealers. 3 and 1)
-Almost premature turn
-Didn't scoop bet before burn and turn
-Apparently dealers can't take $ after they riffle. Dealer didn't see his $ and $ don't play


I know they just came out of dealing school and have great attitudes. But a room full of rookies? Really?

(Note:I want this room to do good. I really do. I play cards with one of the dealers. But man are they having some minor/major boo-boos.)

Math majors in here? Do some work and post. How long before everyone gets busted?

What's wrong magoo?

Oh, thought my post was in some way hard to read. Yeah, 10% up to $7 plus a $1 for every $20 pot is steep. Go complain on Facebook/Twitter/Phone/Live if you haven't already. Only chance to fix this.

I know this has been said multiple times, but I don't think a company like Harrahs is going to care how much we whine or complain. I really think the only way to get the rake changed to $6 is to just get a large amount of players to refuse to tip the dealers in any pot over $60. Again I know this is very rude, and I would normally never not tip in any pot over $40, but I think this is the only way this is going to get changed. Otherwise there is going to be very few long term winners in this room.

Well, both are forms of complaining. I'd rather do the first one instead of the boycott, but I don't hate the idea. And this is coming from someone who A)knows one of the poker dealers there, B)is the son of someone who spent 20+ years working in casinos and C)will tip 30% at a restaurant. It takes some hard work to get me to stiff anyone.

I do want to check out this poker room, but simply refuse to give them any business when they institute a rake like this. I will continue to be loyal to Hammond until something changes.

also, when poker rooms open, is it just assumed by management that players want a BBJ?

Well Jack, you are right but I just don't see the first way(complaining through social networks) to be effective. Maybe it is best to try that first though before a boycott. And I mean no disrespect to your parent who worked in a casino or any of your friends who are dealers. I really think if a large chunk of the people in the poker room refused to tip though, the poker room would change their rake quite quickly. The dealers can't work on what Harrahs pays them very long. In the long run it would be good for everyone, the players, obviously because it would give them a chance to actually become long term winners at the low limits, and the dealers, because the poker room would be very popular and I would imagine you would have probably all 8 tables going at all peak hours 7 days a week which means the dealers get to work more hours and make more money. It would be the best room in the Chicago suburbs if they just implemented a fair rake.

I guess you were at my table.

I was involved in that IWTSH but didn't say anything since I wanted to see what dealer/floor would say. (I had AK).

It appears Harrah's Joliet poker room, may be some kind of experiment by Caesar's Entertainment on the future of poker ring games and / or / vs tournaments. They (Caesar's) are making cash games, very expensive to play. Joints make a lot of money both ways. Maybe one day, won't be any more ring games, outside your rec room.

I was in seat 1. hi

You do realize that part of the rake they are taking goes to pay the dealers and that if you stiff the dealers that the end result will be an increased rake and not a decrease one.

It would not result in them increasing rake. We as players have to show that we will not stand for this. First the government takes our poker away so we have to switch to live poker. Now Harrah's the gigantic corporation who was probably partly responsible for black friday is trying to screw us with a ridiculous rake.

The rake is just way too high....what are the real benefits for people to come to Harrahs over Hollywood which is down the block? They are not thinking long term about this.